Two new species of Janalychas from India

Zeeshan Mirza has recently published an article describing two new species of Janalychas Kovarik, 2019 (Buthidae) from the Western Ghats, India.

Janalychas granulatus Mirza, 2020

Janalychas keralaensis Mirza, 2020

In addition, the species Lychas aareyensis Mirza & Sanap, 2010 has been re-analysed an moved to the genus Reddyanus Vachon, 1972.

Reddyanus aareyensis (Mirza & Sanap, 2010)

Abstract:
The buthid scorpion Janalychas tricarinatus Simon, 1884 is a species distributed in most parts of the Indian peninsula. I
assessed morphological and molecular data for representatives of this species from peninsular India, which hints at the presence of multiple species within the broadly distributed J. tricarinatus sensu lato. Conjugation of morphological and molecular data allow me to describe two new species of the genus Janalychas that were, until now, considered conspecific with J. tricarinatus. Re-examination of the type specimens of Lychas aareyensis Mirza & Sanap, 2010 revealed the lack of a tibial spur, a character of the genus Reddyanus Vachon, 1972 and not Lychas Koch, 1845 or Janalychas Kovařík, 2019, which leads me to transfer the species to the genus Reddyanus (Reddyanus aareyensis (Mirza & Sanap, 2010) comb. nov. as db is situated between et and est on the pedipalp manus. Discovery of two new species highlights the need for employing integrated taxonomic approaches to define and delimit species.

Reference:
Mirza ZA. Two new species of buthid scorpion of the genus Janalychas Kovařík, 2019 (Arachnida: Scorpiones: Buthidae) from the Western Ghats, India. Arachnology. 2020;18(4):316–24. [Subscription required for full text]

Thanks to Zeeshan Mirza for sending me his article!

Family Buthidae

Molecular phylogeny of three species of the genus Buthacus from Saudi Arabia and Egypt

The genus Buthacus Birula, 1908 (Buthidae) is a widespread genus with a complex taxonmy with several unresolved taxa. Abdulaziz Alqahtania and Ahmed Badry have recently published a study investigating the molecular phylogeny of three species of the genus from Saudi Arabia and Egypt. One main result is a support for a monophyletic status of the genus Buthacus. See abstract and article for more details and results.

Abstract:
The molecular phylogeny of three species of genus Buthacus, based on 16S rRNA mitochondrial DNA gene from Egypt and Saudi Arabia is presented. The inferred phylogeny based on maximum-parsimony, neighbor-joining and bayesian inference, indicates the monophyletic status of the genus Buthacus. A clear deep splitting between the “Egyptian clade” consisting of B. arenicola and B. leptochyles and the “Arabian clade” consisting of B. nigroaculatus was shown.

Reference:
Alqahtani AR, Badry A. Interspecific phylogenetic relationship among different species of the genus Buthacus (Scorpiones: Buthidae) inferred from 16S rRNA in Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Zoology in the Middle East. 2020. [Subscription required for full text]

Thanks to Dr. Badry for sending me information about their article!

Family Buthidae

Two new species of Isometrus from India

Shauri Sulakhe and co-workers have recently published an article describing two new cryptic species of Isometrus Ehrenberg, 1828 (Buthidae) from the northern Western Ghats in India.

Isometrus amboli Sulakhe, Dandekar, Padhye & Bastawade, 2020

Isometrus tamhini Sulakhe, Dandekar, Padhye & Bastawade, 2020

The new species and their habitats are illustrated with color photos.

Abstract:
Integrated taxonomic approach is used to describe two new cryptic species of the genus Isometrus Ehrenberg, 1828 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) from the northern Western Ghats of India. Isometrus tamhini sp. n. and I. amboli sp. n. are closely related to each other and differ from two other Indian species of the genus, I. thurstoni and I. maculatus, by the morphological features and araw genetic divergence of over 10%.

Reference:
Sulakhe S, Dandekar N, Padhye A, Bastawade D. Two new cryptic species of Isometrus (Scorpiones: Buthidae) from the northern Western Ghats, India. Euscorpius. 2020(305):1-24. [Open Access]

Family Buthidae

Four new species in the endemic Cuban genus Tityopsis

Rolando Teruel and Tomás M. Rodríguez-Cabrera have recently published a revision of the endemic Cuban genus Tityopsis Armas, 1974 (Buthidae). Four new species have been described from western Cuba, bringing the total number of species in the genus up to six.

Tityopsis canizaresorum Teruel & Rodríguez-Cabrera, 2020*
Tityopsis mulata Teruel & Rodríguez-Cabrera, 2020* 
Tityopsis pumila Teruel & Rodríguez-Cabrera, 2020*
Tityopsis sheylae Teruel & Rodríguez-Cabrera, 2020*

The article has many color pictures of the new species and their habitats.

Abstract:
The buthid scorpion genus Tityopsis Armas, 1974, endemic to western Cuba, is herein revised. In total, 428 specimens were examined from 127 localities, including the primary types of the two species currently recognized as valid; this led to realize that several populations actually represent taxa new to science. Four of them are described in the present paper: a presumed troglobite and three others from epigean habitats. A thorough photographic complement and data on natural history are given for each species and for the genus in general, for which known geographical distribution is verified and updated. With this contribution, the scorpion fauna of Cuba reaches now 61 species, with 56 of them (92%) being endemic to this Caribbean archipelago.

Reference:
Teruel R, Rodríguez-Cabrera TM. Revision of the genus Tityopsis Armas, 1974 (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Part 1. General updates and description of four new species. Euscorpius. 2020(304):1-40. [Open Access]

Family Buthidae